Cameron and kindergarten

Editor’s note: The Bureau County Republican has been following Cameron Lawrence through his first year of school — kindergarten at St. Louis Catholic School in Princeton. This is the final segment of that series.

PRINCETON — It’s been a big year for Cameron Lawrence. He’s learned to read and do lots of numbers. He’s celebrated his sixth birthday. He’s finished kindergarten.

Right before he started school last August, Cameron said he wasn’t sure what he would be learning in kindergarten, but he was ready. Now, nine months, later Cameron is completing his kindergarten year, and it’s been a good year, he said.

The best part about kindergarten has been learning to read books. He especially likes the Corduroy books because they are silly books and have flaps to lift up and you can see all kinds of things underneath. He’s also a fan of Clifford the Red Dog books, he added.

Just one month into school, Cameron said he really liked working with numbers, learning to write them and to count. Today, at the end of his school year, he can already count to 100, which really helped when his school celebrated the 100th day of school with a party earlier this year, he said.

There’s been a couple other special days at school this year, like going to Tanner’s Orchard and then getting to bring a cookie cake with blue frosting and chocolate chips to school for his Feb. 24 birthday. Before the end of the school year, his class will also go to the zoo and the Metro Center.

But his very favorite part of his school day has been art time and choice time, he said.

And, just like at the beginning of the school year, Cameron still favors peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, which he brings from home.

When asked what was the most difficult part of kindergarten for him, well ... Cameron couldn’t think of anything that was too hard for him.

Sometimes his teacher, Linda Carter, would send home a little bit of homework, and he would have to work on his letters and match up the pictures which started with those letters. He’s learned all 26 letters, and his favorite letter is definitely the letter Z because he likes zebras so much.

Cameron’s father, David, who is the principal at Ladd Grade School, takes Cameron to school each morning and his mother, Katie, a teacher at Annawan High School, picks him up in the afternoons from the St. Louis after-school program.

When Cameron gets home from school, he likes to have a snack and watch a show on television, including his favorite show “Henry Hugglemonster.” He also can play with his younger brother, Sam.

With nine months of school under his kindergarten belt, Camerom said he’s looking forward to summer, to riding his bikes, swimming at the Alexander Park Pool and going on vacation with his family to a town called St. Louis.

He’s sure first grade will be just fine, but for now, it’s time to do summer stuff, Cameron said.